Cabinet for amusement apparatus



June 17, 1952 N. A. NELSON CABINET FOR AMUSEMENT APPARATUS 2SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Sept. 17, 1945 June 17, 1952 N. A. NELSON 2,500,909

CABINET FOR AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Filed Sept. 17, 1945 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 WWWPatented June 17, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE H 2,600,909 Y oABrNETnon AMUSEMENT APPARATUS A. Nelsonphicago, Ill.,.assignor to Raymond T.Moloney, Chicago, Ill. Application seat-aw 17, 1945, Serial'No. 616,669(01. 312-107) 3 Claims.

This, invention has for itspr-incipal object the provision ofimprovements-incabinet structures, particularly those employednconjunction with ame and amusement. apparatus to house variousmechanisms and playing instrumentalities, the improvements relatingmore-specifically to the provision of a cabinet structure havingseparable unit-sections to; facilitate servicing change or replacementof game features or scoring features, andtransport I HL 3' H vIt is afurtherobject: of the invention to provide a novelcabinetconstructionconsisting. of)

a score, andcontrol cabinet,; as one unit, and a game cabinet, as,another unit and; shapedfor attachment to the first cabinet ornnit. sothat the-two units together form the-game, either unit being replaceableby another to'alter the playing or scoring features, orby identical.unitsfor quick servicing in event of InechaI-iical, or electricalfailure of any of the instrumentalities comprisn ithegame means. v I iAdditional objects and aspects; of novelty 3 re,- late to theconstruction of the,-cabinetsectionsin a manner facilitatinghandling;and shipping thereof to the construction q -the cabinetsections in amanner such that they-will present an artistic game unitinassembledcondition; to the provision of novel means, for mountingvariousmechanisms employed in: such games whereby to facilitateservicing, installation, electrical connections, etc:, all of whichwillappear more fully as, the following descriptionproceeds in- View of the;accompanying-drawingsin.which: V Fig. 1 is a perspective view of theassembled game;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the cabinet sections or gameunits;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of another one of thecabinet or game units;Fi 4 is a rear elevation of, the cabinet section shown in Fig. 3; i v

Fig. 5 is a rear perspective fragment of the cabinetsection shown inFig.4 and showingparticularly the novel apparatus-mounting means; Fig, 6is-a fragmenta1y, front; elevationali view of the cabinetsectionlshownzimFig; 2;

, Fi'gs..7 and 7a show details of the retractable leg-structure.

Referringto Fig.1, theassembled game-structureincludes a frontgamessectiongenerallyrindicated at It! and shown separately,thattistadisassembled, in Fig. 2,..and arear scoringxpanel section I I,shown separately in=.Fi'g. 3, thesatwo sections being joined togetheralong the; line [2, Fig.1. The front section [-0 consists of anuprightpedestal portion -l 3-having anintegral horizontal case section I' l,the latter having a glass top I5,

2 V beneath which one or another arrangement of playing orgameinstrumentalities are arranged, as in a ball-rolling game, of whichthere are many varieties well-known inthe art,

Assuming the game of Fig. 1 to bea-balL-rolling game, aball propellingplunger Itis, provided at the front ofthe pedestal for launching balls,elevated to propelling position-by an elevator plunger- [1, these latterinstrumentalitiesbeing wellknown in the artandnot describedf-urtherherein. since they do not per se constitute part of the invention. 1 V VThe type of game chosen for, illustration-is, of the coin-controlledvariety, and; accordingly there is provided the usual coin depository I8, from which deposited coins pass, into a known typelof coin testingchute: 19, mounted, as in Fig. 6, on therear of apedestal door 20, alongwith-associated mechanisms customarily employed in such games.

Of importance-to the invention is'therfact that the ball-rolling orother game. instrumentaliti-es lodged beneath the glass top l5-may be ofgreat variety and subject to frequent-change or replacement in orderthat player-interest in the games may be. constantly stimulated, and. tothe I end of facilitating such replacement, the-front or pedestalsection I 0 isdetachable from the other section H, bolt means 22, Fig;2, being ene gageable. in holes. 23, Fig. 3, of the score panel sectionI I to secure thetwo sections in assembled relation, as in Fig.1. Thus,in. order to replace the front section I0, it is not-necessarytotransport the entire game structure, but only the section being replacedInv order that the. frontseparable section It may besupported in. normalupright position; when separated as aforesaid, there isprovided avertically shiftable leg 25-w-hich may beheld in any desired position ofelevation by means of bolts-26 (Fig. through the rear face. plate 21 ofthe front section, engaging in verticalslots-Zll- (Fig. 8) in the leg,said bolts engaging nuts to hold the leg in adjusted position. Thus,whenthe front section- It is disengaged from-the rear section H,leg--25-is loweredand securedwith its lower-end resting, on the floorlevel,,asin Fig. 2; and whenthe front section [0 is. assembled with therearsection, as in-Figal, leg 25 is raised clear. of the floor andso-secured, it being pointed out that this leg ispositioned to fit-fiushagainst the rear section, particularly the lower panel part Ila thereof,Fig. Land in a median portion thereof so as toforma design elementtherewith to-conceal artistically the nature of -the leg element, whenthe latter is not in use to supportthe front section. j I e Where it isdesired or necessary, as in case of mechanical failure, to replace therear section. the same considerations apply.

The rear section I I for purposes of description and reference, iscalled the score cabinet, and includes a glass panel 30, Figs. 1 and 3,behind which various scoring indicia (not seen) appear when illuminatedby small electric lamps 31, Fig. 5, responsive to playing of the game;and a further feature of the game cabinet construction resides inmounting lamps 3! on a panel 32, hinged to the rear cabinet section asat 33, Fig. 4, so as to be free to swing outwardly into the position ofFig. 5 for servicing, when latch means 34 is released, the panel 32having in addition a shelf section 35 adapted to mountinstrumentalities, such as a transformer 36, associated with the lampscore means 3 I.

As in Figs. 4 and 5, additional swinging panel means 40, provided with ashelf portion 4| supporting game instrumentalities 42, and upper panelmeans 45 having a shelf and shield portion 46, supportinginstrumentalities 41 and 48, are respectively hinged to the cabinet byhinge means 49 and 50. Thus, game and score mechanisms for the rearscore cabinet section H are housed therein on swinging memberscorresponding respectively to the several control units involved, sothat each said unit may be serviced and wired or connected inmanufacture with relative ease and accessibility by swinging thecorresponding panel and shelf portions as needed.

It is well known in the art that games of the class to which the instantinvention is adapted employ various electrical devices, for exampleball-operated switches, on the playing field situated beneath the glasstop I5, and the present cabinet construction provides for electricalconnection with these devices by means of connecting cables 60 therefrompassing through openings 61 in the rear panel portion 21 of the frontsection or unit, said cables being passed through similar openings 62cut in the score cabinet section (Figs. 2, 3 and 5) for connection withthe electrical instrumentalities 42, 41, 48, etc.

Means for stabilizing the swinging shelf members 35, 4|, 46, includeschannel shaped brackets 49 (Fig. 4) mounted on a vertical side wallportion interiorly of the score cabinet to receive the edge portions ofsaid shelves supportingly when the latter are swung into place.

It will now appear that the invention provides a form of knock-downcabinet construction peculiarly adapted to game apparatus of the classdescribed, whereby the handling, shipping, re-

placement, servicing, and manufacture of such games is greatlyfacilitated; and it will appear further that the novel apparatusmountings on swinging shelf sections comprising separate units, e. g.35, 40, 46 additionally facilitates manufacture and servicing.

I claim as my invention:

1. An apparatus cabinet comprising a first upright cabinet sectionhaving an access closure in a rear side thereof, a horizontal sectionprojecting at approximately right angles from the forward side of saidfirst section at a level between the upper and lower extremities of saidfirst section and removably attached to the latter, said horizontalsection terminating at its end remote from said first section in therearward side I of a second upright cabinet section pendantly at rightangles to said horizontal section, said second cabinet section having anaccess closure in a front side thereof, and leg means adjustable 4 upand down into position in the region of juncture of the horizontalsection with the first section to support said horizontal section,cooperably with said second section, when the latter two sections areseparated from the first section.

2. An apparatus cabinet comprising an upright rear cabinet having a baseupon which said cabinet can stand alone, and a front pedestal having anintegral horizontal cabinet section projecting approximately at rightangles to the pedestal and having a terminus engageable with said rearcabinet at a level between the base and top thereof, means for securingsaid terminus to said rear cabinet, and a leg fitting up into saidhorizontal section inwardly of said terminus to fit close to said rearcabinet when the terminus is joined thereto, so that said leg appears asa design element of said cabinet, means mounting said leg for verticalmovement into and out of position to support said terminus and therebysupport said horizontal section cooperably with said pedestal when theleg is lowered, and means for securing said leg in'raised or loweredcondition.

3. A knock-down cabinet structure especially for housing apparatus andcomprising an upstanding rear cabinet section, an upstanding frontcabinet section of lesser height than the rear section and constitutinga pedestal, a horizontally-extensive table section joined at onelongitudinal end region to said pedestal such that the latter forms asupport for said one end region, the opposite end region being removablyjoined to said rear cabinet for support by the latter, said opposite endregion of the table section having at least one decorative andfunctional standby leg and means mounting the same thereon to movevertically from an extended table-supporting contact with a floor to aretractive position clearing the floor, said stand-by leg being situatedin close proximity to the juncture of said opposite end region of thetable with said rear cabinet so as to fit decoratively close to thelatter to afford a predetermined decorative design in either extended orretracted condition when the cabinet sections and. said table sectionrespective ly including communicating chambered portions for receipt ofcooperative apparatus.

NELS A. NELSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 836,106 Feldkircher Nov. 20, 19061,471,532 Sheets Oct. 23, 1923 1,700,202 Langford Jan. 29, 19291,788,883 Madsen Jan. 13, 1931 1,858,060 Ricci May 10, 1932 1,906,260Gibbs May 2,1933 1,929,063 Hampton Oct. 3, 1933 1,986,152 Loaring Jan.1, 1935 2,106,230 Whitson Jan. 25, 1938 2,193,372 Miller Mar. 12, 19402,233,003 Epps Feb. 25, 1941 2,417,619 Seyferth Mar. 18, 1947 2,457,248Lemke Dec. 28, 1948 2,488,431 Parnell Nov. 15, 1949

